A 14-year-old girl from Louisiana was shot in the back of the head by her neighbour while she and a group of kids were playing hide and seek on his lawn, confirmed by authorities on Monday.
This is one of the many gun violence incidents that have recently broken out in the past several weeks, evidently due to harmless mistakes.
The role of the cops in this case
The 58-year-old, David V. Doyle of Louisiana, was arrested for the murder and charged with four counts of exasperate assault with a firearm, aggravated battery, and illegal discharge of the gun, as police wrote in a news release.
As soon as the officers received a call from 911 about a shooting, deputies with the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office left for a home in Starks, L.A. When the police reached the location, they found a 14-year-old girl suffering from a gunshot wound to the back of her head. A press release from the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office states that the cops were called to the scene in a small Lake Charles neighbourhood in Louisiana early on Sunday.
The injured teenager was quickly transported to a hospital, which was out of Louisiana, and was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, as per the information given by the police. The sheriff said that the case will continue to be investigated.
The man was arrested
During the initial investigation, the police found out that the victim, along with her friends, was seen playing hide and seek on the neighbour’s property in Louisiana. When officers went to speak with the owner of the lawn, David V. Doyle stated that he observed some shadows just outside his home and so went back inside to retrieve his firearm.
David V. Doyle of Louisiana confessed to the detectives that as he went outside with the gun, he saw the people getting away from his property and so began his shooting towards them, in the course of which he unknowingly shot the girl, which he did not intend to. Van Doyle was booked on Sunday at 6:45 a.m., according to online jail records. Now that David V. Doyle is behind bars at the Calcasieu Correctional Centre, he eagerly awaits the bond hearing. It is not yet known whether he is an attorney or not.
About the girl
The details of the 14-year-old victim are still unknown. On the other hand, members of her family told KPLC7 News that she is doing okay and is recovering. The local TV station reported that the area in Louisiana where the shooting occurred is a dead-end road with only three residents, which include David Van Doyle, the victim’s family, and a relative of the victim’s family.
An area resident connected to the teenager’s family told The Daily Beast that Mr. Doyle’s nephew was also among those children who were playing hide and seek on his lawn with the wounded teenage girl. The resident said that things like these need to stop and mentioned that people should own guns only when their lives are in danger. According to the resident, Mr. Doyle’s life was not in danger, and the girl had been lucky to have her guardian angel watching over her and protecting her.
These types of incidents are just increasing day by day. Many elderly people have been caught shooting several young individuals after they made some silly or harmless errors. Ralph Yarl, a black 16-year-old honour student, was shot and wounded last month after he accidentally rang the doorbell of an 84-year-old resident in Missouri.
Just two days later, another similar event occurred. Kaylin Gillis, a 20-year-old, was shot by a 65-year-old man after she was in a car alongside others that entered his driveway in upstate New York as they were looking for the house of a friend.
